Mandy Moore stars in the movie Saved as Hilary Faye, the top religious superstar of her Christian high school. She takes it upon herself to "save" another student, named Cassandra who is not only Jewish by heritage but (even worse) she is unimpressed by the religious subculture over which Hilary Faye reigns as queen. To Hilary Faye, Cassandra is nothing more than another potential notch on her religious bludgeon. In the mean time, as long as Cassandra remains un-saved, Hilary is content to gossip about her and use her as a point of reference for her own religious accomplishments.

Hilary Faye says "I am totally glad [Cassandra] wasn't expelled. Her actions are such a cry for help. She may not know this now, but she's like that much closer to accepting Jesus in her heart, right?I'm so glad she is staying, so we can save her..." which sounds good to her posse, but she said this for the sole purpose of lifting up herself.

Lauryn Hill describes Hilary Faye's state of mind, which is too dependent on religion, in her song, "Mr. Intentional"... here's the first part:

The road to hell, is paved with good intentionsCan't you tell, the way they have to mentionHow they helped you out, you're such a hopeless victimPlease don't do me any favors, Mr. IntentionalAll their talk, is seasoned to perfectionThe road they walk, commanding your affectionThey need to be needed, deceived by motivationAn opportunity, to further situationWhy they're so important, is without explanationPlease don't patrionize me, Mr. Intentional

Lauryn Hill is talking about a misguided, rehearsed sort of care for others that isn't for others at all because it's inspired entirely by self-love.

It's simple. We either care about others or we do not. If we really care about someone other than ourselves, then we don't have to try too hard to demonstrate this.

"You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight."-- Jesus to the Pharisees, Luke 16:15

Great reviews Pat. This Hillary Faye character is surely an interesting twist. I have to say that this film has a lot of important lessons to teach and really did quite a nice job at teaching its lessons and focuses on human life in the Christian world.

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"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."-- Jesus Christ, Mark 1:15

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